Uptight Mormon legislator teams with HI senator in attempt to speed up medical cannabis research

Utah Senator Orrin Hatch announced his support for a bill which would remove obstacles to research into the medical benefits of marijuana. The bill is co-sponsored by Brian Schatz (D.-Hi).

Let that sink in: Orrin Hatch (R.- Squaresville) is co-sponsoring a bill that would make it easier to do research on marijuana. Significant development for champions of medical marijuana. (But all the news outlets are fixating on the number of pot puns in the press release announcing Hatch's bill.)

Recently, another R-- Dana Rohrabacher from California-- spoke in favor of an amendment to the federal budget that seeks to prohibit AG Sessions and his minions from spending any money to hassle medical marijuana dispensaries. It seems like medical marijuana might soon be something that lunkheads on both sides of the aisle may be able to agree upon.

Why, you might ask, is it so hard to do medical marijuana research?

Because of its inclusion in Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, doctors can't legally prescribe it, researchers are severely restricted as to what kind of pot they can use in their studies and paperwork on such research is a giant hassle. All this because, in 1970, the prevailing attitude among law makers and law enforcers was that:

The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.

The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.

There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.